


Home is Where The Heart is (or, The GWB connection)

by AlexandraHamilfan (SilverMillenium_QueenNeptune)



Category: Hamilton - Miranda (Broadway Cast) RPF, In the Heights - Miranda (Broadway Cast) RPF
Genre: AO3 FB Challenge, Canon Gay Character, Female Character of Color, Freestyle Love Supreme - Freeform, Hamilton References, In the Heights References, Male Character of Color, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2019-06-30 07:43:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15747321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverMillenium_QueenNeptune/pseuds/AlexandraHamilfan
Summary: Lin's made tons of friends through his work on musicals. Now that he's done two, and so many have crossed over from one musical to another, he can't help but think of them every time he crosses the GWB for work, or to go home.





	1. Prologue: The GWB

**Author's Note:**

> For the AO3 Facebook challenge  
> This story is part of the [LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:
> 
> Feedback
> 
>   * Short comments
>   * Long comments
>   * Questions
>   * Constructive criticism
>   * “<3” as extra kudos
>   * Reader-reader interaction
>   * Suggestions for upcoming chapters.
> 

> 
> Author Responses  
> This author replies to comments. However, under no circumstances should this make readers feel forced to comment, or to start a conversation when you don't feel up to one! If you do not want a reply directly from the author, feel free to sign your comment with “whisper” and I will appreciate it but not respond!

_This bridge._ , Lin thinks as the traffic and ambient noise hum outside. It's almost a comfort, knowing it's still here. The GWB is a part of Lin's heritage, and now, a part of him. He feels it every time he crosses it.  Manhattan, Washington Heights, is home. Always has been, always will be. He's a New Yorker to the core, 'til the day he's six feet under, and nobody can ever take that from him or tell him any different. He stares at the lights, takes in the arches, and lets his memory fade in and out of different scenes. His parents sending him to sleepaway camp as a kid; him not having it  _at all_ ,  _any of it_ , because he's a New Yorker,  _how dare they_? It's part of what makes this place his city, his home. Then there's everything else that goes with it too. The friends he's made, the connections he has to them. In one way or another it all comes back to the threads that hold them together. The GWB is at the center of it all. As it always will be.


	2. Tommy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The days that make Lin think of his friend and director.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is kinda going to be like a drabble collection connected to Lin and his feelings about different people in Hamilton and/or Heights, all of them tying back to the GWB in some way. First one up is Thomas Kail!  
> This story is part of the [LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:
> 
> Feedback
> 
>   * Short comments
>   * Long comments
>   * Questions
>   * Constructive criticism
>   * “<3” as extra kudos
>   * Reader-reader interaction
>   * Suggestions for upcoming chapters.
> 

> 
> Author Responses  
> This author replies to comments. However, under no circumstances should this make readers feel forced to comment, or to start a conversation when you don't feel up to one! If you do not want a reply directly from the author, feel free to sign your comment with “whisper” and I will appreciate it but not respond!

Today, it feels like Lin's in a rush. He doesn't quite know why, he's always been this "go, go, go." type of person. It's just a part of him.  He's always been the one to be ambitious and impetuous. He loves it when things just keep moving and move smoothly. As his mind drifts, the first connection is made. Thomas Kail.  Tommy's not always one of the people in the forefront of Lin's brain, but today he can't shake him. He's not even sure why. It takes him all the way back to Wesleyan, when he was just freestyling and doing comedy. He thinks about it now, wonders if Tommy possibly would have noticed him then.  The thought makes him laugh. 

Tommy's a little older, a little wiser, a little more disciplined than Lin could ever hope to be. He knows how to stay focused. That's exactly what Lin needed him for. He's the dreamer, the guy floating from one place to another, who can't keep his feet on the ground. Tommy's his anchor. Lin knows that. Lin is the one who makes puzzles in his brain, breaking them apart and playing with them til the pieces are scattered on the metaphorical floor of his mind. Tommy's the opposite. Everything neat and coming together, and in order. Tommy's got precision. 

He can slow Lin down, make him focus and breathe. Where Lin's loud and boisterous, Tommy balances him. It makes him the perfect person to think about on a calm, cool morning. Tommy often keeps in the background and doesn't say much. But Lin notices that when the usually introverted Tommy  _does_ have stuff to say, people tend to sit up and pay attention. It's that quiet strength Lin envies, one day hopes to have himself. He thinks he should ask for a crash course:  _Being Zen on Broadway._ Tommy would be an excellent teacher, and by God, Lin needs the help. Tommy's as steady as the GWB itself, which is what Lin can't get out of his head this particular morning. Slow and steady, calm. Not racing toward a finish line as usual.  

At the same time, Tommy helps support him, like the beams of the bridge. He holds Lin up. When he feels exhausted, like it's too much and the world's going to crash around him, Tommy is just there, and he is solid. Just what Lin needs. Of course he'd be unlikely to admit any of this to Tommy, who would think he'd lost it, gone completely nuts. But it's nice to think about as he rides, the thought of Tommy to calm him before all the chaos hits.

It's exactly what he needs.


	3. Alex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lin can hear the music of the night as he crosses the bridge coming home. It makes him wonder how Alex does it.

Tonight, as he's returning home from a long show, Alex Lacamoire floats into Lin's mind, totally unbidden. He doesn't really question it. Lac is one of the closest people to him, one of the people he sticks with. The music he creates helps Lin tell a story, and he knows he couldn't do it any other way. Alex is easily heard in Lin's mind. He's the atmospheric "music" that no one notices until they really pay him some attention. They have to turn down their radios to hear it. He's like the melody of car horns and ambient noises; wind rushing past the bridge through open car windows. Alex could make a song out of this. 

Alex is talented, he could make a song of anything he wanted. He has a knack for making them catchy, dance-like. He takes Lin's ideas and runs with them. But he also knows when to take his time. He doesn't always listen when Lin prods him to speed it up or move on. It makes Lin laugh now, thinking about it. When he dwells on a lyric, trying to find just the right combination of keys and suddenly Lin is there, breaking his concentration.  He doesn't do it because he wants to, but because he knows he has to. If Alex stays lost in his own little world, they'll never finish. Everyone knows. So they laugh when  Lin gently prods.

"Alex, we gotta go.", he'll urge, and Lac will stare at him, wide-eyed. 

 _Like a kid._ , Lin's mind supplies. Though Alex is older than him, sometimes he can be so much more giddy, and child-like and Lin envies him that, because how could he not? He can't ignore raw talent and he knows Alex has it. 

"I know, I know, just let me. . .", he'll start, and then the music starts again. Sometimes it's just him banging around on the keys until he figures something out, something that makes sense in that differently wired, genius brain that only Alex could claim. He weaves music like tapestry. As if it's natural, like the very sounds Lin hears on the street right now. Roars of engines, humming radios, horns. Alex wouldn't make a song out of this, his mind corrects now, he'd make a symphony. 

Lin's just grateful he gets to hear it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is part of the [LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:
> 
> Feedback
> 
>   * Short comments
>   * Long comments
>   * Questions
>   * Constructive criticism
>   * “<3” as extra kudos
>   * Reader-reader interaction
>   * Suggestions for upcoming chapters.
> 

> 
> Author Responses  
> This author replies to comments. However, under no circumstances should this make readers feel forced to comment, or to start a conversation when you don't feel up to one! If you do not want a reply directly from the author, feel free to sign your comment with “whisper” and I will appreciate it but not respond!


	4. Support System (The Women who made history)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lin considers the women of Hamilton and Heights and how they're part of the support system of all of his progress.

Lin's grateful that the GWB is a strong bridge. He hopes no disasters will ever come to pull it down. As he thinks on this, a thought flits through his mind. Immediately he sees the faces of the strong women in his life, along with the women in his cast. Most of the women are like the cables holding up the bridge. They're strong but sensitive. They support him and lift him up. He's thankful now, that he chose those he did. 

Immediately, when he thinks of strong women, his wife and mother stand out. His mother made a choice. She married his father and left Puerto Rico. Without her, there would be no musicals to rave about. That would be because without her, he wouldn't be here. He knows it goes without saying, but things have changed so much in the last few years, and Lin's dedicated to fighting misogynistic attitudes. It's part of why he chose to name the musical simply,  _Hamilton._ It's not just about Alexander. It's about the woman who held him up, too; it's Eliza's tale, her legacy, as much as his. He knows all of that.  Which is why it's Vanessa's story too. His wife, the only reason anything gets done, the woman who spurs him on. The one who saw greatness in him before anyone else did. 

It makes him think of Pippa, the perfect combination of sweetness and endurance. She was the right choice for Eliza, the right woman to hold the show together. He knew as soon as he found her that she would be perfectly believable. That was important.  He needed the audience to relate to her, and relate they do. They adore her. 

Then there's Renee. Lin thinks to himself that he could easily see his own wife in either Pippa or Renee's roles. But the minute he heard her launch into a full diatribe on him, Lin knew Renee would be the only choice for Angelica. A brave, loyal sister who stood by both Eliza and Alexander, even when things got tricky. Renee's steady, able to hold her own, It's why he made her Angelica, and why he offered her the rare chance to be the only woman who delivers a rap in the show. Renee pulls it off with an almost elegant air, effortless.  For a moment, her face changes to Mandy's in his mind, and he remembers how perfectly she stepped in to tell the tale when he needed her to.  

Then there's Jasmine, who Lin has to consider for a moment. As Peggy, she enjoys a brief moment of light. But as Maria, she becomes part of the crux of Hamilton's story. The sheer hubris of the affair is what ended Hamilton's political career. Maria may not elevate Hamilton, but she elevates his shame. Jasmine fits so flawlessly in the role that the lines nearly blur. She's still a light, just in a different way, highlighting all of Hamilton's flaws for the world to see as the inspiration for the Reynolds Pamphlet. 

Of course, it's not only the women of Hamilton he thinks about, but those in  _In The Heights_ too. The ones he was fortunate enough to meet along the way. The ones who told the stories of the strong and independent characters. Olga as Abuela Claudia, Mandy as Nina, Karen as Vanessa, Andrea as Daniela. Women like the character of Camila Rosario who anchored their men and their legacies with pride. 

Women, Lin thinks, don't get half the credit they should.  He's proud to have given more of a voice to that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is part of the [LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:
> 
> Feedback
> 
>   * Short comments
>   * Long comments
>   * Questions
>   * Constructive criticism
>   * “<3” as extra kudos
>   * Reader-reader interaction
>   * Suggestions for upcoming chapters.
> 

> 
> Author Responses  
> This author replies to comments. However, under no circumstances should this make readers feel forced to comment, or to start a conversation when you don't feel up to one! If you do not want a reply directly from the author, feel free to sign your comment with “whisper” and I will appreciate it but not respond!


	5. Support System pt II: Javier, Chris

While men like Tommy and Alex can make Lin think about certain things, there are too many others who Lin seems to constantly rely on to hold the show together. Two of the most important people in that mold are Javier and Chris. 

There's a reason Chris is cemented as George Washington in Lin's mind. He's vocally smooth, a lot like Leslie or any of the other guys in the cast. But even back in the  _Heights_ days, Lin noticed something different. The way he carried himself. Chris could lead, and Lin knows it. That's why he makes a perfect Washington. Crooning vocals, smooth delivery. He literally is the bridge between both of Lin's projects. Lin supposes that's why he now calls it, lovingly, "The Chris Jackson Bridge." One of only two male cast members to start in Heights and carry over with him to Hamilton. There's a reason for that, too. 

A lot of that reason is both of those men. Chris and Javier. As his mind shifts to Javi, Lin can't help the emotion that surges through him. He thinks about how they got here, and it's almost too much.  Knowing that Javi nearly gave up on his dreams of acting before he was cast, thinking about the talent that might have been wasted. Javi _knows_ Lin, understands how he thinks. That's not an easy thing to do. Knowing that Javi pushed through, persevered, beat cancer... The man had been reborn a million times. Lin almost wrote him off as a minor character when they first met.  Did, for a while too. Until it clicked that Lincoln wouldn't fit in the way he needed him to. 

Then he saw it, and he knew Javier was the only person with the right passion to play alongside him as Usnavi, and then as Alexander. And Javier? Oh, he  _lives_ for it. The energy with which he threw himself into the role, rock steady, even when he was fighting cancer and didn't want anyone to know. Lin can relax when he knows Javi's there. He knows the roles are in good hands. After all, Javi practically double teamed with him in creating Hamilton, soaring above him and taking the character to heights Lin never would have dreamed. Yet, he's so humble that when interviewers tell him he's surpassed Lin's sex appeal, Javi's face doesn't go without a blush. Every time.  Lin wonders how long it'll take the modest Javi to own it!

Both of them are strong, but it's a quiet strength. The kind Lin knows he needs, enough to push and keep him going. He's thankful he has them, and he doesn't know what he'd do without them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is part of the [LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:
> 
> Feedback
> 
>   * Short comments
>   * Long comments
>   * Questions
>   * Constructive criticism
>   * “<3” as extra kudos
>   * Reader-reader interaction
>   * Suggestions for upcoming chapters.
> 

> 
> Author Responses  
> This author replies to comments. However, under no circumstances should this make readers feel forced to comment, or to start a conversation when you don't feel up to one! If you do not want a reply directly from the author, feel free to sign your comment with “whisper” and I will appreciate it but not respond!


End file.
